Dennis Mendiola

Dennis Beltran Mendiola (born September 1, 1967, in New York City) is an entrepreneur and investment banker oft cited for pioneering technology ventures that have been mobilized for both real profit and invaluable service to people and communities.

Chikka

Chikka, a company he co-founded in 2000 with Alexandra Roxas and Chito Bustamante, built an instant messaging (IM) application that was the first to seamlessly integrate full mobile functions via text messaging. The service launched in 2001 allowed millions of Filipinos who did not have Internet access, to become part of an instant messaging community using their mobile phones.

The service called Chikka Text Messenger would be driven by millions of overseas Filipinos who embraced the service as it united them, reliably, economically, with their families and friends back home. Chikka has thus been downloaded from the US to the Middle East and every corner of the world where Filipinos could be found (including the open seas for which a Chikka version was specifically developed for access via the INMARSAT by Filipino seamen who man the world’s ships). Mendiola indeed envisioned Chikka to address a strong need for communication (itself resulting from a Philippine Diaspora that began decades back, as Filipinos were compelled to look to foreign shores for a better life). With over 45 million registering to use the service since its commercial launch in 2001, Chikka today is one of the most widely used communications tool that bridges Internet and mobile communities.

Presently Chikka is a diversified company powering mobile communications, content, commerce and corporate solutions available across the globe in countries such as the US, UK, Italy, Spain, Peru, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Hong Kong.

“Chikka” is Filipino colloquial for “small talk,” and indeed the nature of billions of text messages exchanged around the world.

Work for the Red Cross

Mendiola has also inspired the mobilization of mobile technologies for humanitarian causes. In late 2004 as twin killer typhoons Yoyong and Winnie (international code names: Nanmadol) ravaged Southern Luzon in the main Philippine Island, “Donate-a-Load” was launched whereby millions of Filipinos where encouraged to donate their call credits by simply texting variable amounts to a Red Cross short code. The ingenious scheme allowed people from all walks of life to give selflessly and anonymously to victims of the typhoons, raising millions of Pesos in a matter of hours. As the country celebrated National Heroes Day in December 30, 2004, the phenomenon was cited in the Editorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Donate-a-load would later be mobilized again for victims of the Great Asian Tsunami with the UNICEF as beneficiary.

In June 2008, Mendiola was inducted as Governor of the Philippine National Red Cross with the specific mission to wield technology to advance the cause of the humanitarian organization.

“This is remembering and going back to my roots for me. As volunteer No. 001 at Subic of then SBMA Chief Richard Gordon in 1992, we had little more than our idealism to try and make the former US Naval facility, play a key role in RP’s bid to become an Asian Tiger,” said Mendiola.[1]

“A sound sense of providing a valuable service has always fired us up at Chikka. As for me, I feel that I’ve paid my dues to corporate business, and the Red Cross has given me this opportunity now to re-channel my energies, to wield best practices in technology towards relieving extremely urgent humanitarian crises happening everywhere in the world today,” Mendiola added.[2]

For inspiring technological innovations that have translated to valuable services for the Global Filipino, and put the Philippines on the map as a global hub for mobile applications development, he had been cited through 2006 and 2007 by:

• Ernst and Young as Entrepreneur of the Year (2006)

• The Go Negosyo Movement of the Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship as one of the Ten Most Inspiring techno entrepreneurs (2007)

• The Philippine Marketing Association for the Agora Asia-Pacific Marketing Excellence Award (2007)

• Junior Chamber International Philippines as one of the country’s Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM)

Chief Imagination Officer

Even as CEO of Chikka, Mendiola has always been referred to more as the company’s “Chief Imagination Officer” and de facto Head of Product Development. From 2000 to 2008 he had pushed for various versions of the Chikka Text Messenger and scores of mobile applications that “text-enabled” every conceivable aspect of daily life from commercial transactions to finding dates, from entertainment to prayer. So compelling were some of these services that “warring” executives from competing mobile networks once found themselves “breaking bread” at no less than the house of the Archbishop of Manila (the Philippines is 95% Roman Catholic) to jointly launch Chikka’s “Catextism.”

But real testament to Mendiola’s innovative are eleven (11) patents filed; 34 applications granted; over 40 applications pending for Chikka’s various mobile communications related products covering 24 countries.

Educational and Professional History

Mendiola attended primary and secondary schooling at the Ateneo De Manila before heading to the US for college.
He graduated double summa cum laude with degrees in BS Economics (Wharton) and BS Electrical Engineering (Moore) from the University of Pennsylvania, and later earned his MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1995. He was gainfully employed through 1992 to 1997 as a consultant and investment banker at such institutions as McKinsey Consulting, Morgan Stanley and Bankers Trust, at some of the world’s most important financial capitals.

Twice however, country beckoned: Early in 1992 to volunteer at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority in order to attract international investments in the former US Naval Base, and give the country new hope of joining the ranks of Asian Tigers; and then again in 1996, to form Next Century Partners, a venture capital firm that would call the attention of more international investors to more investment opportunities in the country.

The emerging “New Economy” also beckoned to Mendiola, firing up a new passion. He saw an opportunity in marrying Instant Messaging, wildly popular among a global Internet community, and in text messaging, the rage in this part of the world. It was an ambitious project, requiring intricate solutions to cater to the habits of what was even then, the most advanced “texting” culture in the world, Filipinos.

In 2001, Mendiola, together with a group of young entrepreneurs, responded to the challenge of creating a messaging solution that would withstand SMS volume in a country sending 30 million messages daily, and claiming the title ‘Text Capital of the World.’ Mendiola launched the Chikka Text Messenger, the world’s first instant messenger with integrated mobile features via SMS, beating world players such as AOL, Yahoo and MSN to probably the world’s most coveted mobile messaging market.

The Chikka Text Messenger became an integral part of Filipinos’ lives everywhere, including overseas Filipino workers, and a diverse online community that quickly embraced and enjoyed Chikka for its ease of use and reliable mobile connectivity.

Since the launch of the messenger, Mendiola spearheaded the creation of various wireless applications, including a prolific line of mobile messaging solutions. Distinguished by their high and universal utility, Chikka’s services include: mobile IM and email easily accessed and managed via SMS, mobile payment systems utilizing call credits, Free-Reply SMS that aids prepaid subscribers in need of “top-up,” mobile-enabled auctions and matchmaking, and the most relevant, informative and entertaining text, voice and visual mobile content.

Mendiola has led Chikka and the Philippines to become a world-class mobile applications services provider.